Inside Our Circle / Core Memories
Ever since meeting each other (from the very beginning), what are the first TWO games we have always started our mehmoonis with from this list?
a) Uno
b) Charades
c) Mafia
d) Cheat
e) Horse
f) Trivia
g) Imposter
b) Charades
d) Imposter
While Ghormeh Sabzi is loved everywhere, what is the traditional north-Persian stew made specifically from braised chicken, ground walnuts, and pomegranate molasses?
Khoresht-e Fesenjān
Invented in Italy during World War II when a pastry maker added hazelnuts to scarce cocoa to stretch the supply, what is the world-famous sweet chocolate spread produced by Ferrero?
Nutella
Equipped with blue, copper-based blood, which highly intelligent ocean creature relies on three separate hearts, two to pump blood through its gills and one to pump it to the rest of its body?
Octopus or Squid
What has to be broken before you can use it?
An egg
Starting from oldest to youngest among the 6 of us kids, what is the exact birth month and day for each person?
Mani: May 14
Sana: June 16
Parsa: December 6
Pasha: November 15
Mahoor: March 27
Sonia: August 4
On Yalda Night (Shab-e Yalda), families stay up late eating pomegranates and watermelons. Which legendary 14th-century Persian poet's book is traditionally opened for night-long fortune readings during this celebration?
Hafez
While Venice is famous for its grand canals, which capital city in Northern Europe is known as the "Venice of the North" for its ring of over 160 historic canals and 1200 bridges?
Amsterdam (Netherlands)
To keep from drifting apart in open water while sleeping, sea otters wrap themselves in giant kelp and practice what famous social habit?
Holding hand
What goes up and down, but always stays in the same place?
Stairs (or an escalator)
Where, in what year, and approximately what month did all three of our families meet for the very first time? **Bonus points if you guess the exact date**
All three families met for the first time at Mani & Mahoor's house, February 15 2025.
Created by Iraj Tahmasb and Hamid Jebelli, what is the name of Iran’s most iconic puppet character who starred alongside Aaghae Moji in hit TV shows and films for decades?
Kolah Ghermez
Although closely tied to French bakeries today, the crescent-shaped pastry that inspired the croissant, originally called the Kipferl, was created in which famous European capital city?
a) Paris, France
b) Vienna, Austria
c) Brussels, Belgium
d) Zurich, Switzerland
b) Vienna, Austria
While many animals can regrow lost parts, which aquatic Mexican salamander is famous in science for being the only vertebrate capable of completely regenerating lost limbs, heart tissue, and even parts of its brain without leaving any scar tissue?
a) Starfish
b) Axolotl
c) Gecko
d) Chameleon
b) Axolotl
I have cities, but no houses. I have mountains, but no trees. I have water, but no fish. What am I?
A map
When (year/month), where (location), and on what occasion was this picture taken?
July 6 2025, at Earl Rowe Provincial Park for our first Family Camp Trip
Dating back over 2,000 years, the iconic frozen dessert made from thin starch vermicelli noodles soaked in rose water and lime syrup traditionally originated from which historic Iranian city?
a) Tabriz
b) Isfahan
c) Shiraz
d) Yazd
e) Rasht
c) Shiraz (Faloodeh Shirazi)
Located in Tuscany, Italy, this famous 183-foot bell tower began sinking into soft ground almost immediately during its 12th-century construction. What is its official name?
Leaning Tower of Pisa
Growing up to 40 feet long and weighing as much as a school bus with a distinct spotted pattern on its back, what is the largest species of fish in the ocean?
Whale Shark
I am lighter than a feather, yet even the strongest person in the world cannot hold me for much more than a few minutes. What am I?
Their breath
Who is Josie, and who kept mentioning them just enough to turn it into an inside joke?
Josie was one of the hosts of our Airbnb in Blue Mountain, and Sonia kept bringing her up
In the early 2000s, Shahbal Shabpareh’s band brought a new wave of pop. Which famous group gave us party anthems like "Aftab Lab-e Boom" and "Cinderella"?
Black Cats
The modern tradition of the Olympic torch relay, carrying the flame from Olympia, Greece, to the host city, was introduced for which specific Summer Olympic Games?
a) 1924 Paris Games
b) 1936 Berlin Games
c) 1948 London "Austerity" Games
d) 1952 Helsinki Games
b) 1936 Berlin Games
Widely regarded as one of the smartest creatures in the animal kingdom, which common backyard bird can recognize individual human faces, hold lifelong grudges, and manufacture multi-step tools out of twigs ?
Crow
I build bridges of silver and crowns of gold, and yet I am neither a craftsman nor a king. I can stop a running river without a single wall, and men have drowned in my dry depths without ever seeing a drop of water. What am I?
A dream